Madonna, Polanski films vie for Venice limelight

Madonna, 53, is in the canal city for "W.E.," a film loosely based on the relationship between American divorcee Wallis Simpson and Britain's King Edward VIII, which eventually led him to abdicate the throne in 1936.

Starring Abbie Cornish and James Fox, it is the singer's second outing behind the camera after the 2008 comedy drama "Filth and Wisdom," which was generally poorly received by critics.

W.E. appears outside the main competition lineup of 22 films confirmed so far for Venice, but is set to dominate the second day of the 2011 festival on the Lido waterfront nonetheless.

George Clooney opened the 11-day cinema showcase with his political drama "The Ides of March," which was generally well received by critics Wednesday and seen as a solid launch of this year's star-studded event.

Madonna's track record in front of the camera has been patchy, with her performance as Eva Peron in "Evita" lauded but that in erotic thriller "Body of Evidence" broadly derided.

Competing for the attention of the thousands of journalists and fans who line the red carpet each evening for a glimpse of their idols will be Polanski's "Carnage" starring Oscar winners Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and Jodie Foster.

The Franco-Polish director worked on the script of the in-competition Carnage, an adaptation of Yasmina Reza's comedy play "God of Carnage," while under house arrest in Switzerland in 2010.